Reinterpreting ‘50s Sound : The four guys with smoldering looks are beginning a Southland tour. And Larry Dean’s rockabilly shuffle is enjoying a comeback.

That chart-busting recording group, the Mavericks, is bringing its unique sound to the Ventura Theatre on Tuesday night. But you could end up singing “What A Crying Shame” if you don’t hurry up and get tickets, which are flying out the door.

As the band, which was nominated for a Grammy, begins its Southland tour, the title single from its current “What a Crying Shame” album on the MCA label is approaching the million-sales mark.

Yet five years ago, these four guys with smoldering looks and an understated ‘50s-Vegas style couldn’t get arrested. They were playing Miami Beach, where they bucked the system by unabashedly doing country music in alternative-rock music venues.

We’re talking shuffle rockabilly beats, Buck Owens-style fiery guitar playing and the intense balladry of classic ‘50s country--Roy Orbison, Ray Price, Webb Pierce, Ernest Tubb, all combined with the Sun-label sound of early Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins. Factor in Raul Malo, Cuban-American singer-guitarist-songwriter-frontman, and it’s no wonder they called themselves the Mavericks.

But Malo, along with bassist Robert Reynolds, drummer Paul Deakin and new guitarist Nick Kane, have managed to find an appreciative audience for their reinterpreted classic ‘50s country sound.

What’s the secret to their appeal? By reinterpreting the eclectic sound of American roots music--a mix of country, R&B;, folk, bluegrass and anything else that works, from rockabilly to salsa--the Mavericks have become a contemporary country band with a distinctive cutting-edge sound. They appeal both to fans of traditional country music and recent converts who insist they don’t like country but they like this stuff.

And the band’s collaboration on the current album with monster songwriters Kostas, Harlan Howard and Pete Anderson didn’t hurt any either.

Check out how Malo’s vocals, the sparse instrumentation and the insistent marching-drum rolls on the ballad “I Should Have Been True” build the tension and mood. The raw urgency of this “Bolero”-meets-country arrangement will make you a believer.

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If you weren’t tuned to KHAY radio’s Santa Fe Cafe listener-request show Friday night with Matt Michaels, you missed a lovely acoustic version of “Little By Little” and other hits by singer-songwriter James House, who brought his House Band along on the special in-studio appearance. The co-writer of Dwight Yoakam’s hit, “Ain’t That Lonely Yet,” he took calls from listeners and offered interesting insights into both the current country music scene and the composing process as he played several songs.

You may have noticed that the Roy Orbison-style vocals of Mavericks’ lead singer Malo, Mark Chestnutt on “Sensuous Woman,” and House himself, have helped revive the popularity of that ballad style.

Rockabilly shuffle is also enjoying a comeback. Calabasas-based country singer-songwriter Larry Dean has long been treating fans at Simi Valley’s Cousin’s Country Saloon to his version of this music along with ballads employing the ‘50s-style key changes and tear-in-the-voice vocals. For heartbreak music, check out “Are You Listening?” on his new CD. And Thunder 105.5 radio deejay Bob Allen broke Dean’s upbeat single, “Things Are Lookin’ Up,” on the afternoon show a couple weeks ago.

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Yes, if you’ve seen Cactus County perform lately, that guy with the haircut playing bass guitar is indeed Al Sorena of the popular-but-now-defunct Platte River Crossing.

And your guess is as good as mine about who will make the final cut for the upcoming KHAY Country Band, brainchild of Charlye Parker, the promotions director and DJ, and Mark James, who wears three hats at the station--deejay, program director and music director. After a preliminary selection process, 23 musicians have been invited to audition Saturday for the five-or-six-piece band being created to play for all the station’s remote country celebrations as well as other events.

Parker said they intend to change the name and format of the celebrations by dropping dance lessons and presenting a “show band that entertains by playing mostly the Top 30 country hits, a few standards and a little R&B.;”

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If you’ve got $10 per person, the Crazy Bull in Camarillo has some special entertainment on Saturday called a “Western Jamboree.” Starting at 7 p.m., Darlene O’Connell & the Dixie Flyers, the Rhythm Rangers, the Fender Benders, Heartbreak Kid and the Love-Sick Prairie Dogs will take turns on stage for your listening and dancing enjoyment. Rick Henderson will be there for dance lessons. And be sure to wish Charlye Parker and Darlene O’Connell both happy birthday--the party is doubling as the gal-pals’ birthday bash.

Details

* WHO: The Mavericks.

* WHEN: 8 p.m. Tuesday.

* WHERE: Ventura Theatre, 26 S. Chestnut St., Ventura.

* HOW MUCH: $18.50.

* FYI: Junior Brown, virtuoso of the standard six-string and lap steel guitar, will open the show.